Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-11
THE GREAT ACCIDENT.

THE NEWS or 1T IN BRATTLEBORO-BRA
BORO PEOPLE WHO INTENDED To 90 ON
THE FATAL TRAIN AND DID Nor-TliE
PHOENIX BULLETIN.
The news that "A terrible accident had
happened at White River junction was re
ceived and bulletined at the telephone eN-
change at an early hour last Saturday
morning. IL quickly spread over the town
and the interest and anxiety to learn par
tNulars became great. The first account
said that 90 persons had been killed and
several injured, but when the delayed owl
train came down il was learned that the
full magnitude Of the disaster had not been
stated. The morning papers had no men
ton of it and the anxiety steadily grew
but it was impossible to learn details or
even to get replies to private messages sent
1t was anxiously asked whether amy Brat
tleboro people had been ON the train, but so
far as could be learned no one from here
took the train the night before, which
was an unusual occurrence. There were,
| however, several Of those escapes which
the Rev Sam Jones calls "provilcntial 50
Il. f. Brooks, the Brattleboro station agent
and superintendent of the Brnttlcboro x
Whitehall road, had planned to go to St.
Adams by that train to transact business
with the Central Vermont home office, but
the illness of Mr. Eddy, his head assistant,
obliged him to defer the journey. j. l..
Martin also was to have gone up 10y that
| train, and so was Mr. Wood of st. Adams,
the general agent in Vermont for the Trav
elers Insurance company, but circumstances
led both to change their plans. Lieut.. Gov.
| Fuller would have gone to Burlington 10y
| that train had not the meeting of state tx
ecutve and military officers elsewhere men
toned been changed from Saturday morn
ing to Friday evening All these gentle
men would have been in the fated sleeper
st Adams had they followed their orig
inal plans.
The Phoenix tried to get particulars by
telegraph from personal friends at White
River Junction but could get no answer of
any sort to its messages. Mr.. Childs, rep
resenting the Springfield Republican aud
the telephone exchange, had no better sue
cess. Finally, late in the afternoon. "a few
snatches of press dispatches were got hold
Of and when the belated afternoon train
came down persons were interviewed for q
moment who had been on the scene of the
wreck The material thus gathered 10y u
and by Mr.. Childs was hastily put together
and just before Il o'clock IA special bulletin
or extra was issued from The Phu.nix of
flee, which, as it has since proved, contain
ed all essential particulars Of the great dis
aster. Ii was the first. and save the mea
gre dispatches in the Springfield mon
was the only information which our people
had up to the arrival of the Sunday morn
ing papers. This extra was printed foi
free distribution to satisfy the intense de
sire for news which was felt hy everybody
and copies Of it were eagerly sought fo
faster than they could be printed until lOOj
had been disposed of A. many copies "a
possible were sent To the outlying towns b,
the evening trains over the narrow gaug'
and Vermont Valley roads
Rutland, Burlington, st. Adams and 9th
er of the larger towns IN Vermont had tin
same difficulty experienced in Brattlebor
about getting news 10y telegraph ON Satur
day, and it was felt there as here that tn
railroad company was holding back infor
nation which belonged to the public, witt
a purpose tn let no more details 20 out thai
could he prevented or controlled
Young Edward Dillon of Springfield, on
of the victims of the Hartford ruilroa'
tragedy, was well known ~ many Of GU
Brattleboro young people. \ Springfield
gentleman writing to his brother in thi
town says of him
Eddie was the youngest Of five children an
about ~ years of age. He was always "a yer
| polite, bright boy, and great faVuritr with al
but he irouid go to Dartmouth college, althoug
his parents wanted him to enter Catholic schu,
and b. priest OF course you know he was kil
ed at the Woodstock bridge disaster His remain
were recognized by his Undertaking. His lac
lay in the water which kept the fire of. hut tn
head and face were damned besides leing uenrl
burned OF His brother recognized the body b.
the peculiar undershirt and drawers and
strongly developed shoulder ON the right arr
from pitching ball. at which be an adept Eidi
and his classmates, Neazey and Merrill, cam
here from Hanover Friday afternoon and Htt"n.
ed a young ladies' reception that evening al IA
town hall They stayed until about ~ p. y, wh"
they left for ChaTlestown and took the night trai
for Hanover. ON reaching Windsor. hOylkc, III
Ion and Neazey decided To ~ 10 Burlington an
Rutland: but Merrill would not aud 50 lrtt the.
at the Junction Weary is son NJ Judge Nrazr
Of Rutland and Merrill is from New York hi
father being an editor the New York Morl,
! NeaZty barely ESCAPED with his life. They wei
in IA berth together when the car lrft the tract
Dillon Jumped out and ran through To- the trui
1 end under the trucks: had hr stayed with Nral.
1t is possible he might have h,-an saved. Ahul
~ students Werr here to tn funeral The dispa
. uf flowers was large and ELEGANT, coming trp
all directions"
Among the most beautiful floral offering
, furnished for the occasion were Il cresceI
and anchor composed of smilaX and whit
flowers from Aliens greenhouse.